U.S. AIR FORCE ORIENTATION GUIDE TO ADVANCED COST MANAGEMENT: DEVELOPED BY THE CONSORTIUM FOR ADVANCED MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL (CAM-I): A MANAGEMENT INTERN RESEARCH PROJECT

This is a reprinting of the research project I performed for the Palace Acquire Program as a Presidential Management Intern with the U.S. Air Force. The purpose was to describe the factory of the future as projected by the Cost Management System (CMS) developed by the Consortium for Advanced Management International (CAM-I), formerly Computer-Aided Manufacturing -- International, Inc., and its sponsors.The project will also address the implications the system has on Cost Improvement Curve Theory, Cost/Schedule Control Systems Criteria, and the movement toward Total Quality, which have now evolved into Earned Value Management. This project was completed before the new terminology was adopted, although the same principles will still apply. I produced this project because at the time I was the Air Force representative to CAM-I, had been the Comptroller Representative and had a hand in editing and discussing Cost Accounting for Today’s Advanced Manufacturing, the CAM-I/CMS Conceptual Design, which is the precursor to Activity Accounting.Appendix One is the C/SCSC Checklist, as applied to the CMS. Note that some updating may be required to update to EVM protocols. It should still be useful as a cross check to criteria application between the various modules. Benefits from participation in the CMS are greater visibility of technology improvement costs now buried in overhead, more accurate product cost, elimination of waste through tracking of non-value added cost provided through activity accounting, awareness) of change in defense contractor systems and the ”state of the art” and greater defense contractor participation in the CMS effort.